TOMFORD

Looks like an awesome adventure! Thanks for sharing!

TheTakeOffRush

^ Great TR photos, and great work on growing your business. I glanced over your site Monix Adventures yesterday but totally missed the bits about your porter employees. I'll get right back on that. I had been curious if you had any personal or professional takes from the events on Everest so famously discussed in recent films, books, and articles? Especially in light of last(?) season's tragedy.

MrAndMrsJones

Here's a paragraph from another blog TheTakeOffRush:

The abuse of porters on Kilimanjaro is worryingly widespread and sadly it is these men (and women) who often bear the brunt of cost cutting by operators. They may be overloaded, poorly equipped, badly fed and under paid. When you see them carrying all of your kit, you would feel ashamed if you thought they were not being fairly rewarded for their incredible hard work. It’s common to see porters sat on a Massai blanket at 10pm shivering outside. This is to save weight and cost of porters, they sleep in the clients dining tent, and therefore have to wait until all the clients have gone to bed before they can sleep or even have some shelter. Also, some of the companies will agree a basic wage for porters, and then deduct food and shelter from that. There is an organisation in place called the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP). They have produced a basic criteria for partner climbing companies to sign up to, which covers things like minimum wages, equipment provided etc. It is a basic list, but a good first step if the company you’re looking at is a member.

MrAndMrsJones

As for Everest… I haven't seen the new film yet, but it is on my Christmas list (to watch, not buy!). As a rule, I don't read Everest books, as they're never particularly positive! The exception to this is a book called Summit by Harry Farthing, which is fiction, and brilliant.

It breaks my heart when sherpas lose their lives on Everest. They are a small community of some of the warmest, strongest and most trustworthy people you will ever meet. They are the glue that keeps the mountain together, and without them, very few "clients" would make it up Everest.

I could talk on the subject for hours, but to be concise I have only a couple of key points. Firstly, there is a wider perception nowadays that if you throw enough money at Everest, you can climb it. This statement is a concern as it is neither 100% right nor 100% wrong. Regardless of any personal wealth, you must have a genuine desire to summit the mountain, or you wouldn't tolerate the hardship of 2 months above 5,000m. Secondly, a portion of responsibility needs to be shouldered by the operators who have no scruples about taking client's bookings. They should take greater care in vetting clients to ensure they have enough experience to move safely on the mountain.

In the past we have helped relatively inexperienced clients to realise their Everest dreams. This never meant selling them an Everest trip, instead we worked on an intense 6 months training program, with 3 big training expeditions, and then paired them with the best private guide who could lead them on the mountain. By the time they arrived in Nepal, they had some really solid mountaineering skills, more than a lot of other climbers.

I have often looked at other teams in terms of who will be able to help us if things go wrong, and who's likely to need our help. When the balance is in favour of those who'd need help, it makes the mountain a more dangerous place, including for those who are experienced.

I started in a very logical manner, in Scotland, then the Alps, then Alaska, and so on. I felt very ready when I went to Everest.

The reality amongst this is that Everest is a cash machine for a country which desperately needs income. The permit fees are high, but by no means prohibitive to hundreds of aspirant Everest summiteers each year.

I do think limiting numbers is a good idea, and so is stricter vetting of client experience. That's a tough one to police, but a necessary step.

Perhaps I should write an Everest TR..

DanielW

Awesome photo's and a great adventure, Rhys. Sounds like an exciting way to make a living too.

Must have been hard preparing for Kili when you were living in Dubai, both for the temperature and the elevation.

You'll have to see the Everst movie too, really loved it. Not often you get to see fellow Kiwi accents on the big screen too.

TheTakeOffRush

^

Valuable response above, thanks.

MrAndMrsJones

Thank you DanielW. We used to walk over Fossil Rock most weekends, which was enough to stop us getting too lazy! Always enjoyed running down the sand dunes from the top.

Antdenatale

I did Kili in 2013 and it was an experience that changed my life, we did the Machame route and for me the toughest days were as you said the lava tower and summit night, unfortunately I fainted with altitude sickness 100m from Stella Point and was taking down by the porters kicking and screaming.

I will be going back next year for another attempt as I am not going to let that mountain defeat me!

i noticed that you mentioned you live in Dubai at the moment, I am based there, can you recommend any treks into the mountains around these parts that could help with my training?

mad_atta

Fantastic report and amazing pictures - such a remarkable array of landscapes as you climb up through the layers. Thanks for posting

MrAndMrsJones

Hello Antdenatale, thanks for commenting!

Sorry you didn't get to the top. I've had a couple of people faint over the years, for various reasons. Walking by head torch all night is indeed an odd experience which needs to be experienced to be appreciated. Shame you couldn't dust yourself off, but as you say, the mountain will always be there for you to have another try.

I will sent you a PM with a nice circular route about 45mins-1hr from Arabian Ranches.

MrAndMrsJones

Thanks very much Mad_Atta. It's the scenery which I really enjoy too, as every day is different. It also varies depending on time of year, and I can honestly say that no two ascents have ever been the same.

view

Thanks for sharing, great pictures!

I did the Lemosho route in 7 days back in 2007 and it was a fantastic experience. I was not extremely fit, but reasonably fit and that was fine. My issue was the altitude, and between Stella Point and Uhuru Peak I started getting dizzy. After taking the obligatory pictures at the Peak, I had to descend and a guide took me down ahead of the group to battle the altitude sickness that was setting in quickly. I did have to stop to throw up several times during the descent, and after descending 1000m or so I got better immediately. I was of course very happy I made it all the way to the top.

MrAndMrsJones

Thank you view, and congratulations for your summit! Between Stella and Uhuru is where nearly everyone is hit the hardest. It's certainly a slog. I once spent 3hrs shuttling team members around the crater to the summit and back, and that was long enough for me!

And you're right that descent is a miraculous and (almost) instant cure for the altitude sickness. That first night back in the tree line, the air seems thick enough to chew!

PremiumTraveller

Brilliant report, excellent photos! I am thrilled to have read this report, I grew up in Moshi so Kili was a daily delight!

I sure do miss the view though!

MrAndMrsJones

Thanks very much PremiumTraveller! We've spent a lot of time in Moshi, always enjoyed taking our crew for a night out to celebrate a successful climb!